A meeting of the Northern Governors’ Forum and traditional rulers is being held in Kaduna State to deliberate on the worsening insecurity orchestrated by bandits and terrorists.
The meeting will also focus on other socioeconomic challenges affecting the region.
READ ALSO: Kwara Traditional Ruler, Six Others Escape From Bandits’ Den
The gathering, which is taking place at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, is being hosted by Governor Uba Sani.
The chairman of the forum and Governor of Gombe State, Inuwa Yahaya, will preside over the session.
The traditional rulers were led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar.
Also present are heads of security agencies and key stakeholders from across the North.
The leaders are expected to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the situation and proffer sustainable solutions.
Discussions will also extend to other critical issues affecting the development and overall progress of the northern region.
Among governors present at the time of filing the report are Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Umar Bago (Niger), and Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa).
Other states in the region are Kwara, Benue, Plateau, Yobe, Adamawa, Kogi, Katsina, Borno, Taraba, Sokoto, Kano, Kebbi, Bauchi and Jigawa.
Also present are some deputy governors representing their governors.
Banditry
The meeting comes at a time the region is grappling with heightened security threats – ranging from banditry and kidnapping to farmer-herder conflicts and disruptions to economic activities.
No fewer than 350 people have been abducted by terrorists, with aleast seven people killed in the last two weeks during attacks in the region.
Notable among such attacks are the invasion of schools in Kebbi and Niger which led to the abduction of over 300 schoolchildren and teachers.
In Kwara, 38 worshippers were kidnapped during an attack by gunmen at a Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku that left at least three people dead.
On Sunday, gunmen attacked a church in Kogi State, kidnapping a pastor and his wife.
The attack on the newly established Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Ejiba, Yagba West Local Government Area, occurred during service.
A bride-to-be and her bridesmaids were reportedly abducted by suspected bandits in a fresh attack on Chacho village in Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
On Monday, the Ojibara of Bayagan in Ifelodun local government area of Kwara state, Alh Kamilu Salami, and six others reportedly escaped from the grip of bandits, who had earlier demanded ₦150 million from the community before the traditional ruler could be freed.
